Signs of the end

13 As they were going out of the Temple, one of Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Teacher! Look at these huge stones, and these huge buildings!”

² “You see these enormous buildings?” said Jesus. “There will not be one single stone left on top of another. They will all be torn down.”

³ Peter, James, John and Andrew approached him privately as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the Temple.

⁴ “Tell us,” they asked. “When will these things happen? What will be the sign that these things are about to be completed?”

⁵ “Take care that nobody deceives you,” Jesus began to say to them. ⁶ “Plenty of people will come in my name, saying ‘I’m the one!’ and they will lead plenty astray. ⁷ But whenever you hear about wars, and rumors of wars, don’t be disturbed. These things have to happen, but it doesn’t mean the end is here. ⁸ One nation will rise up against another; one kingdom will rise up against another. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines too. These are the first pains of childbirth.

⁹ “But watch out for yourselves. They will hand you over to courts, they will beat you in synagogues; you will stand before rulers and kings because of me, as a witness against them. ¹⁰ And the message of the kingdom must first be announced to all the nations. ¹¹ And when they put you on trial and hand you over, don’t work out beforehand what you are going to say, but say whatever is given you at that moment. It won’t be you speaking, you see, but the holy spirit.

¹² “One brother will hand over another to death. Fathers will hand over children. Children will rebel against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who is patient through to the end—that one will be saved.”

Further signs of the end

¹⁴ “However,” Jesus continued, “when you see ‘the desolating abomination’ set up where it ought not to be” (let the reader understand) “then those who are in Judaea should run away to the mountains. ¹⁵ If you’re on the housetop, don’t go down, and don’t go in to get anything from the house. ¹⁶ If you’re out in the countryside, don’t turn back again to pick up your cloak.

¹⁷ “It will be a terrible time for pregnant and nursing mothers. ¹⁸ Pray that it won’t happen in winter. ¹⁹ Yes, those days will bring trouble like nothing that’s ever happened from the beginning of creation, which God created, until now, or ever will again. ²⁰ In fact, if the Lord had not shortened the days, no one would be rescued. But for the sake of his chosen ones, those whom he appointed, he shortened the days.

²¹ “So at that time, if someone says to you, ‘Look—here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look—there he is!’ don’t believe them; ²² because false messiahs and false prophets will arise, and will perform signs and portents to lead astray even God’s chosen ones, if that were possible. ²³ But you must be on your guard. I’ve told you everything ahead of time.

²⁴ “But in those days, after that suffering,

²⁶ “Then they will see ‘the son of man coming on clouds with great power and glory.’ ²⁷ And then he will dispatch his messengers, and will gather in his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of earth to the ends of heaven.”

Watching for the son of man

²⁸ “Learn this lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes soft and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ In the same way, when you see these things happen, you should know that it is near, right at the gates. ³⁰ I’m telling you the truth: this generation won’t disappear until all of this has happened. ³¹ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words won’t disappear.

³² “No one knows, though, the day or the hour. The angels in heaven don’t know it; nor does the son; only the father.

³³ “Keep watch, stay awake. You don’t know when the moment will arrive. ³⁴ It’s like a man who goes away from home: he leaves his house, giving each of his slaves authority for their own tasks; and he commands the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵ Keep watch, then, because you don’t know when the master of the house is going to come. It might be at evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning! ³⁶ You don’t want him to come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ What I am telling you, I am telling everyone: keep watch!”